Newcastle United are boosted by the return of three key players for this afternoon’s Premier League away to Burnley (kick-off 3pm).
Eddie Howe is boosted by the return of Miguel Almiron, Nick Pope and Joelinton, who take their place on the bench at Turf Moor. Almiron has missed a month with a knee injury, while Pope and Joelinton are back after their respective long-term injures.
Speaking to the media on Friday, Howe teased the trio’s potential involvement. He said: “We’ve had Miggy and Joelinton return to training this week, first steps back into full team training. We’ve also seen that with Nick Pope as well so it’s been a good positive week to have three experienced quality players back. It’s certainly given us a big lift.
“We’ll see after today [if they’ll be involved vs Burnley]. I’ve got to make the right decisions for them individually and the team. They’ve been out different time lengths but they’ve had significant injuries so we need to make sure we get this one right.”
Howe is set to make two changes to his starting XI from last weekend’s 5-1 win over Sheffield United. As expected, Emil Krafth comes in for the injured Fabian Schar, who is likely to miss the rest of the campaign with a minor hamstring issue. The second change sees Callum Wilson replace Elliot Anderson.
Here’s Newcastle United’s starting XI and subs in full:
5. LB: Lewis Hall
Hall has started three of United’s last five games - his best run in the starting XI since joining from Chelsea last summer. | Getty Images
6. CM: Bruno Guimaraes
Will hope to get on the scoresheet again at Turf Moor. Newcastle have won every game the Brazilian has scored in since joining two-and-a-half-years ago. | Getty Images
7. CM: Sean Longstaff
Longstaff has been an ever-present in the side since December. While many of his teammates haven’t played because of injury, the midfielder has played through the pain barrier. | Getty Images
8. RW: Jacob Murphy
Murphy claimed an assist against Sheffield United and him starting allows Howe to use Harvey Barnes as an impact sub, a role he has thrived in. | Getty Images